Card feeding mechanism



July 9, 1968 C. E. STRACK CARD FEEDING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 2, 196$ 5Sheets-Sheet 1 mull ATTORNEY C. E. STRACK July 9, 1968 CARD FEED INGMECHAN I SM Filed Dec.

3 Sheets-Sheet c. E. STRACK 3,391,927

CARD FEEDING MECHANISM l966 Z5 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 9, 1968 Filed Dec. 2,

United States Patent 3,391,927 CARD FEEDING MECHANISM Charles E. Strack,Phoenix, Ariz., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation ofNew York Filed Dec. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 598,689 Claims. (Cl. 271-44)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A picker knife for translating cards from ahopper having a card engaging knife surface at the apex of its U- shapedconfiguration which oscillates with virtually sinusoidal motion causingsubstantial linear reciprocal motion of the knife.

This invention relates to apparatus for recording on or reading codedinformation from information bearing mediums such as sheets or cards andmore particularly to an improved card feeding mechanism for use withsuch apparatus.

In known card punching and reading devices, the cards are processed oneat a time. As there are usually a great number of cards to be handled,means must be provided for removing the cards from a storage hopper oneat a time and feeding them to a punching or interrogating means. Inaddition to operating at a high rate of speed, the card feedingmechanism must be able to handle the cards with care so as not to bend,tear or mutilate them in any manner. Rough handling of the cards maycause malfunctioning of the card reading and punching apparatus.

Heretofore, two widely accepted methods of feeding cards from a storagehopper or stack to a data processing device have been used, namelyfriction and picker knife feeding methods. The frictional feeding methodusually involves the use of air pressure or a vacuum to separate andmove the cards in the stack. With this method, the possibility of movingmore than one card at a time from the storage stack is ever presentsince the punched holes in the cards create a leakage path for the airpressure or vacuum which may interfere with the satisfactory operationof the system. Further, any sudden decrease or failure of the pneumaticor vacuum source will cause malfunctioning of the data processingsystem.

Most of the picker knife feed mechanisms used today require elaborategearing and cam mechanisms for satisfactory operation and operate withpure linear reciprocal motion. Sliding shuttle members formed byplate-shaped elements are arranged to move along guides and, with eachmovement of the shuttle member, one card is fed to the card transportingmechanism. With this type of operating motion, there is present thepossibility of the picker knife engaging the bottom card remaining inthe stack during its shuttle action, thereby causing web damage. A webmay be defined as that portion of a punched card extending betweenpunched holes in adjacent columns and rows.

In accordance with the invention claimed, an improved picker knife feedmechanism of relatively simple construction is provided. This mechanismcomprises a single U- or V-shaped member of spring steel having machinedinto its bight or apex a knife surface. One leg of the member isfastened to the base plate of the machine while the other leg isfastened to a pin of a clutch assembly. As the clutch rotates, themember oscillates with virtually sinusoidal motion causing substantiallylinear reciprocal motion of the knife surface for moving a punched cardyet utilizing the slight deviation therefrom to prevent damage to thecards remaining in the stack. By utilizing this construction, anextremely smooth and noiseless operating mechanism is obtained.

It is therefore one object of this invention to provide an improvedpicker knife feed mechanism of relatively simple construction.

Another object of this invention is to provide a picker knife feedmechanism for card punch and reading devices whose operating motionsubstantially eliminates damage to the punched cards remaining in thestack.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved pickerknife feed mechanism for card punch and reading devices which isextremely smooth and noiseless in operation and eliminates the rollerbearing structures of the shuttle type prior art structures.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following specification taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partly in section, of a card readerconstructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the structure shown inFIG. 1 taken along the line 22;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial view of the structure shown in FIG. 2illustrating the knife edge of the picker knife mechanism in position toengage a punched card;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial view of the structure shown in FIG. 2illustrating the knife edge of the picker knife mechanism duringmovement of a punched card;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the picker knife;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial perspective view of the structure shown inFIG. 1 illustrating in full lines in more detail the card transportingmechanism;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial top view of the timing belt shown in FIG.1 with a punched card positioned adjacent one of the belt tabs; and

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the timing belt and card arrangement shown inFIG. 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings by characters of reference,FIG. 1 discloses an information processing device such as a serial cardreader 10 for processing data from a moving record such as, for example,a plurality of tabulating or opaque punched cards 11. The card readerbroadly comprises a gravity feed storage card hopper 12 wherein thepunched cards are stacked and individually fed to a card transportingmechanism 13. The card transporting mechanism 13 moves the cards past acard interrogating or reading station 14 where the data is sensed to acard collector 15 where the cards are received and stacked afterinterrogation.

As previously mentioned, the tabulating or punched cards 11 may comprisea plurality of data columns in which information, in this instance inthe form of specially located punched holes, may be contained in one ormore positions in each column. One example of such a tabulating card isthe I-Io'llerith card commonly used in todays data processing systems.The punched cards are fed one at a time from the storage card hopper 12by means of a picker knife 16 shown in FIGS. 1 through 5.

Picker knife 16 is provided for delivering or translating the punchedcards 11 one at a time from the storage hopper 12 to the cardtransporting mechanism 13 and comprises a single substantially U- orV-shaped piece of resilient material such as a spring steel cantilevermountedat the end of one of its leg members to base 17 of card reader10. The other leg member 18 of the picker knife is rotatably attached toa single revolution olutc'h member 20 for rotation about its axis 21.Rotation of clutch member 20 causes rotation of leg member 18 of pickerknife 16 thereby causing a generally linear reciprocal movement of theapex or bight of the picker knife. A knife edge 22 is provided at theouter surface of the bight of picker knife 16 for engaging an end edgeof the punched card 11 and driving the card longitudinally of the cardreader structure through a lower throat opening 23 shown in FIG. 2 tothe card transporting mechanism 13. As the picker knife 16 is cantilevermounted to the base of the card reader, pure linear reciprocal movementof the knife edge 22 is impossible; however, the deviation from purelinear reciprocal movement, although small, is advantageous since itinsures that no damage will occur to the remaining cards in the storagehopper because the edge ofthe picker knife will be moving away from thestorage hopper during the latter part of its card driving movement ortravel.

When a signal is received by the card reader structure from a controlmeans (not shown) indicating that a card should be read, the free end ofthe picker knife leg member 18 is rotated from the position shown inFIG. 2

V initially to the left a short distance in order for the knife edge 22to engage the rear edge of the bottom punched card in the storage hopper12. Further rotation of the free end of the picker knife causes theknife edge 22 to move to the right to deliver a card through throatopening 23 and out of the storage hopper to feed roller 25 of the cardtransporting mechanism 13.

This stroke or loop of the .picker knife is continuously repeated foreach signal received from the control means (not shown) requiring a readcard operation. On each cycle the card in the lowest position in thestorage hopper is moved out of the stack of punched cards after whichthe remainder of the stack in the gravity feed storage hopper 12 dropsdown and the process is repeated in this manner for each following card.A weight (not shown) may be placed on top of the card stack to assurethat there is always enough pressure to keep the punched cards movingdown through the storage hopper and also to press the individual cardsflat so that they mate properly with the knife edge 22 and the exit orthroat opening 23. In order to assure that only one punched card ispicked up on each cycle, the height of the knife edge 22 is slightlyless than the thickness of a standard punched card while the height ofthe throat opening is between one and two such thicknesses.

Electric motor 27 provides the prime moving force for actuating thepicker knife 16 and the card transporting mechanism 13 through a set ofdrive and driven sprockets 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and interconnected by aplurality of drive belts 36 and 37. More particulanly, motor 27 drivessprocket 30 which drives rotatably mounted driven sprockets 31 and 32 bymeans of an interconnecting drive belt 36. As shown in FIG. 6, sprocket32 is fixedly mounted on shaft 38 for rotation therewith and, uponrotation thereof by drive belt 36, rotates drive sprocket 33 arrangedjuxtapositioned thereto on shaft 38. Drive sprocket 33 drives drivensprocket 34 by means of the interconnecting drive belt 37. Drivensprocket 34 is mounted on axis 21 of clutch member 20. Upon receipt of aread signal by the card reader, latch 28 is withdrawn from locking notch29 in clutch 20 to cause a single revolution of clutch 20 by the drivensprocket 34. This action causes the picker knife 16 to remove one cardfrom the card storage hopper and to move it to the card transportingmechanism 13.

The card transporting mechanism further comprises a plurality of carddrive or feed rollers 25, 40, 41 and 42 shown in FIG. 6. Roller 25 ismounted on shaft 38 and is arranged to provide a groove surface at itsouter periphery for housing a pair of belts 43, 43'. Each belt is madeof suitable material for frictionally engaging and moving the punchedcards passing *over roller 25.

Driven sprocket 31 is fixedly mounted on shaft 44. Shaft 44 supports forrotation therewith feed roller and drives this feed roller upon rotationof sprocket 31 by motor 27. Feed rollers 41 and 42 are mounted on shafts45 and 46, respectively, and are interconnected by drive belts 47, 47'.

As noted from FIG. 6 of the drawings, feed rollers 25, 40, 41 and 42 arespaced longitudinally of the card reader along a given path. Cooperatingwith each feed roller is a pinch roller rotatably mounted on the frameof the card reader structure. As seen in FIG. 1, pinch rollers 61, 62,63 and abut the feed rollers 25, 40, 41 and 42 and the drive beltsassociated therewith so that a punched card passing between the feed andpinch rollers is held in frictional engagement with drive belts 43, 43'and 47, 47' for continuing movement of the card. As a result of thepunched card being in engagement with the feed and pinch rollers, thecard is transported through the reading station 14 and ultimately to thecard collector 15.

As seen in FIG. 1, a punched card travels only a short distance from thecard hopper 12 before it is interrogated at the reading station 14.Although any suitable interrogating means may be used, a photoelectricsystem is shown and disclosed. Specifically, the interrogating means maycomprise a plurality of spaced photoresistors one for each row in thepunched card to be read and one for the timing mechanism. A suitablelamp 48 is disposed in the card reading station 14 and so positionedthat the tabulating or punched cards pass between the lamp and thephotoresistors when moved by the card transporting mechanism. Lamp 48 asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is mounted below the punched cards andphotoresistors of the reading station and may be masked by a platehaving a narrow slit. The slit and the photoresistors are verticallyaligned so that the amount of light and its beam direction are carefullycontrolled. Discrete electrical signals 'or synchronizing impulsesindicating the presence or absence of a punched hole in each row of thecard being read are transferred via external conductors 59 to a dataprocessor where the information read from the punched cards is utilized.

As each punched card passes between the lamp and the variousphotoresistors, illumination from the lamp passing through punched holesin the card impinges on the photoresistors causing their electricalresistance to decrease. By connecting the photoresistors to suitableelectrical circuitry, signals are obtained which are representative ofthe information recorded on the punched cards. Since it is necessary forthe card reader to know when the reading station of the card readersenses the data on the card and more particularly to know exactly whichdata column 'on a tabulating or punched card is being read, a movablesignal generating element such as a positively driven timing'means isprovided. This timing means moves at exactly the same speed as thepunched card being interrogated so that it is possible to determinewhich data column on a punched card is being read. As shown, the timingmeans comprises a light responsive endless timing belt 49 which iswrapped about a plurality of guiding members 50 51 and 52. The guidingmember 50 is spring loaded so as to maintain tension on the timing belt49.

Timing belt 49 is mounted adjacent the lateral edge of the cardtransporting mechanism and is so arranged on the card reader that it isengaged by the punched card as the card is moved through the card readerby the card transporting mechanism. The timing belt is provided with aplurality of elements such as tabs 54 spa-cedly arranged along thelength of the belt. These tabs may be cut from and formed integrallywith the material forming the belt or may be of like or differentmaterial fixedly attached to the belt. Each tab is arranged to extendlaterally from the surface of the belt and may be bent back against thetiming belt so as to form a notch 55 between the tab and the belt. Apunched card, upon traveling a short distance.

through the card reader al'ongfthe given path by the card transportingmechanism 13, engages in a predetermined position one of the notches 55on the timing belt 49 and pushes the timing belt along with it as itmoves through the card reader structure. FIGURES 7 and8 illustrate howthe punched card engages one of the notches formed by a tab and thetiming belt.

The timing belt 49 is provided with an elongated timing track 53 havingsuccessive light responsive elements spaced in correspondence to thesuccessive recording of data in the card and comprising moreparticularly a plurality of apertures or holes 56 cut through the beltmaterial immediately downstream of each tab 54. These holes are arrangedto extend in a row along the length of the belt, as shown in FIGS. 1, 7and 8 and are so arranged that each hole corresponds to a columnposition on the punched card which abuts against the tab. When they passa photoresistor in the reading station, timing signals are developed onefor each hole in the timing track.

Since each punched card moving through the card reader must overlap aportion of the timing 'belt 49 in order to drive the belt, two furthergroups of apertures or holes 57 and 58 are arranged along the length ofthe timing belt. Groups of holes 57 and 58 are arranged to align withgiven rows of the punched cards so that any data in the form of punchedholes, selectively positioned at the intersections of the matrix of thevertical columns and the two lowest horizontal rows on the punched card,may be interrogated by the card reader and will not be blocked frominterrogation by the material of the belt. A belt which overlaps aportion of the card also permits the use of a tab extending across allor a good portion of the width of the timing belt. Thus, the tab of thetiming belt overlaps a relatively wide portion of the leading edge ofthe :punched card being read, thereby eliminating or substantiallyreducing the possibility of damaging the corner of the punched card.

FIGURES 7 and 8 illustrate a partial view of the movable timing belt 49and a standard 80 column, 12 row punched card showing the recordedpunched information, represented by rectangular impressions or holes, atthe intersections of the various rows and columns. The punched holes inthe cards 11 represent binary ls and the blanks (i.e., no punchimpressions) at the intersections of the various rows or columnsrepresents binary 0s in the logic circuitry used to connect the cardreader to a processor (not shown).

As noted from FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, the timing track 53 ispreceded by a large rectangular hole which causes light to fall on agiven photoresistor in the reading station 14 causing a signal to occurwhich alerts or starts the timing operation. Each following aperture inthe timing belt is downstream a given distance from the data column ofthe associated punched card being read so that the logic circuitryassociated with the reading or interrogation of the data columns of thepunched card may be properly correlated and provide in cooperation witththe moving record a signal indicative of the position of the record orcard being sensed. Thus, it is possible to detect by means of the timingsignal which data column is being interrogated at any time during thereading of a punched card as long as no error exists between the timingbelt 49 and the punched card 11.

To ensure that no error exists, the distance from each of the tabs 54 onthe timing belt 49 to the first aperture in the timing track is madeprecisely a given distance correlated with the distance from the leadingedge of a punched card to the first data column on the card. Thus, thereis a subsequent aperture 56 in the timing track 53 that iscorrespondingly spaced with each succeeding data column in the punchedcard being read. Since the photoelectric interrogating means in thereading station which reads the timing track 53 is aligned or correlatedwith the photoresistors which read the data columns, informationcontained in the first data column is simultaneously read with the firstsignal generated by the timing track and, as the belt and punched cardproceeds through the card reader, each subsequent data column is readand synchronized with each subsequent timing signal generated by thetiming track of the timing belt.

The timing belt 49 is made of low mass material requiring very littleforce to accelerate and continue its movement while still being ofsuitable strength and durability to withstand thousands of starting andstopping operations. In this instance, an aluminum belt coated withMylar (a polyester film made from polyethylene terephthalate andproduced by the Du Pont de Nemours Company) has been used to provide thedesired operating characteristics. However, it is not the intention ofthis disclosure to be limited by the composition of the belt since anymaterial may be used that exhibits the qualities of low mass, strengthand durability.

Thus, the punched card contacts the tab of timing belt 49 as it is movedon to feed roller 25 by the knife edge 22 of the picker knife 16. Thetab is bent back over the card as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 as the cardmoves through the card reader. Although the card is normally bentdownstream of the direction of movement of the timing belt, the throatformed by guiding member 51 and the frame structure 60 of the cardreader further bends the tab over the punched card, if necessary, as itmoves through the card reader structure.

The engagement of the punched card with the tab 54 of timing belt 49occurs before the data columns on the punched card arrive at the readingstation 14 and remains in contact with the tab until after the last datacolumn on the punched card has been interrogated. In order to facilitatecontact between the punched cards and the timing belt, the distancebetween tabs on the timing belt is greater than the length of a card.Since the mass of the timing belt is very low, the momentum generated bythe velocity of the card is low, thereby causing the timing belt to cometo rest very quickly after the driving force of the card has beenremoved from the timing belt. Hence, timing belt 49 is positively drivenby the punched card being interrogated. Thus, data columns on thepunched card are always synchronized with the timing belt regardless ofchanges in the velocity of the punched card. By utilizing such anarrangement, the probability of misreading a punched card is greatlyreduced or eliminated.

After the punched card has been interrogated by the reading station, itis moved by the driving belts 47, 47' to the card stacker 15. During themovement of the punched cards by belts 47, 47', the timing belt is movedby the punched card. When the punched card is driven into the cardstacker 15, it disengages from the timing belt and is collected underthe influence of gravity in the card stacker. Since the timing belt 49has three tabs 54 spacedly arranged along its length, it may be engagedreadily by each successive card being read without unreasonable timedelay.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear in anillustrative embodiment, there will be immediately obvious to thoseskilled in the art many modifications of structure, arrangement,proportions, the elements, materials, and components, used in thepractice of the invention, and otherwise, which are particularly adaptedfor specific environments and operating requirements without departingfrom those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended tocover and embrace any such modifications, within the limits only of thetwo spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A card feeding mechanism comprising a hopper for receiving a stack ofcards and having a lower throat opening through which cards areconsecutively translated, a card feeding head disposed below said hopperfor engaging the rear edge of the lower card and driving it through saidthroat opening, said head comprising a U- shaped resilient member havinga pair of legs and a bight, one of said legs being fixedly attached tothe card feeding mechanism, selectively activated drive means coupled tothe other of said legs for causing said head to move during a part ofits travel substantially in alignment with the rear edge of the lowercard of the stack of cards, and a knife edge arranged at the bight ofsaid U-shaped member for engaging the rear edge of the lower card whensaid member is at a predetermined point in its travel.

2. The card feeding mechanism as described in claim 1 wherein saidU-shaped resilient member comprises a single piece of material havingthe knife edge machined into the material.

3. The card feeding mechanism as described in claim 1 wherein said drivemeans comprises a clutch.

4. The card feeding mechanism as described in claim 1 wherein said drivemeans comprises a single revolution clutch.

5. The card feeding mechanism as described in claim 4 wherein said drivemeans rotates the end of said other of said legs through a closed looppath.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,510,559 6/1950 Daly 271443,145,023 8/1964 Cerf 27141 EDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner.

